Dear Altadore Families,
This is our last Weekly Update of the school year - wow! Where did the year go!?!?! This past week was a very special one, with the return of many in-person Altadore traditions, and the beginning of some new ones.
On Wednesday, we hosted our first National Indigenous Peoples’ Day whole school celebration. Our guest speaker, Tony Tootoosis, shared his personal story, and we were so fortunate to have two of our students, Amelia and Bashir, join Tony in two dances. We were blown away by their talent and passion and felt honoured to have these teachings shared with us.
After Tony, Bashir, and Amelia danced, our school sang Kitsikakomimm and then we all joined together in a round dance. It was an afternoon of celebration and community and we are so happy with how it turned out!
In honour of National Indigenous History Month, we also unveiled our new garden sign. Elder Saa’kokoto gifted our school the Blackfoot name, Sipistoy’pakaiks, meaning “Owl Children” for the Owl’s Nest, and we had a local artist create a
beautiful sign that also includes a land acknowledgement.
Thursday saw the return of Sports Day, and although the weather didn’t fully cooperate, we are thankful we all got to be outside in the morning and rotate through the fun stations. Lindsay Holden organized this huge event, and Amy Close donated a lot of her time as well to ensuring it was an organized event. Sportball accommodated our afternoon kindergarten class by hosting an event for them in the gym. Thank you to all of the parent volunteers who showed great flexibility that
day: working in all types of weather, playing with the students, and being patient while we waited for the storm to pass. We are so thankful for our Altadore volunteers!
On Friday, we hosted our school’s Grade 6 Farewell. The Grade 5/6 team, along with Mr. Fraser, put on a beautiful ceremony that truly reflected the unique group of individuals that make up our Grade 6 class. From Ms. Miller’s slideshow, to the teachers’ speeches, the Grade 5 “Cups” song, to the joint performance of Kitsikakomimm that the 5/6s performed, it was an emotional and exciting way to end the week. We wish all of our Grade 6s the best as they begin junior high in the fall!
This week, we have our Summer Splash Monday evening, and our early dismissal on Tuesday for the final day of classes. We will be sending out a final School Messenger this week as well, with key information and the calendar for next year.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Kelly Christopher Meagan Lundgren
Principal Assistant Principal
kdchristophe@cbe.ab.ca mllundgren@cbe.ab
